


A Change of Taste

by Hustlepuff



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dubious Ethics, F/M, Original Character(s), Polyjuice Potion, Post-Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Prostitution, Young Severus Snape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 09:54:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17896283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hustlepuff/pseuds/Hustlepuff
Summary: In the years following Lily’s death, a heartbroken and desperate Severus Snape has settled into a routine of dealing with his feelings and urges in an unhealthy and rather disturbing way. One day, however, he chooses to break out of this routine and seek some variety.





	A Change of Taste

**Author's Note:**

> This snipped belongs to a larger, more extensive story I am currently working on and hoping to post sometime in the future. As such, it contains original characters that are featured in that story. This was fun to write and I thought it could work decently as a one-shot, so I am posting it as a standalone for now in hopes that someone might enjoy it. :) Rated E for good measure.

“You’re here,” said Ruby superfluously as her round, friendly face emerged from behind the door. It seemed that she had lit a single candle, Severus noticed, because the room behind her was dimly lit, and shadows flickered and danced on her floral wallpaper. “Come in!”

He was already tensing up as he entered – he disliked when she would greet him like this, making it difficult to achieve full immersion. He much preferred when she would call out for him from behind her kitschy dressing screen, reaching over to accept the material he had brought without ever showing her face. Those times had proven to be the most believable. He had quickly learned that, if anything mattered to him, it was the believability, and that he’d much rather pay a little more for the experience, even if it meant he could only indulge in it on occasion.

“Make yourself comfortable, love,” Ruby took off her apron, wiped her hands on it and motioned to the bed. “Fancy a drink first?” 

He shook his head. He didn’t appreciate the gesture – these mannerisms, so typically, unmistakeably Ruby, were too sobering, and they were pushing him further and further away from the illusion. A part of him wanted to back out right now, to simply say “never mind” and just leave, and he realized that this was probably the most nervous he’d felt in Ruby’s room since their first meeting. Nevertheless, he sat on the edge of the soft mattress, sinking into it a few inches.

“Suit yourself. Got the goods?” asked Ruby, extending a small, plump hand towards him. He reached into an inner pocket of his robes and offered her a tiny velvet pouch. As she grabbed it, he felt strangely reluctant to release it from his grasp, and they both held onto it for a few awkward seconds before he finally let go. 

Ruby disappeared behind her screen, where he could only see her squat silhouette as she opened the little pouch above her bubbling cauldron. She let out a short gasp. “I’ll be!” she said in a flirty tone as she unraveled the long strand towards the light, inspecting it. “Not the redhead this time?” she poked her head out from the side of the screen and winked at him. 

“I’d appreciate no comments,” Severus said. “Just service, please.”

“Fine, fine,” Ruby chuckled. “I’m glad, though. Variety’s good for ya. Care to watch it turn? Some folks like to watch it turn. Makes for a more personal experience.”

Severus himself wasn’t sure whether he wanted a more personal experience or not, and almost said no on reflex; he had seen Lily’s potion turn – bright orange-red, smelling like a garden in spring – and he definitely didn’t want to equate today’s experience with Lily in any way. Still, curiosity quickly overpowered him. He quickly made his way over to Ruby and watched as she dropped the hair into the muddy liquid. It reacted immediately, first violently foaming, then turning an obnoxiously bright, dandelion-yellow colour. 

“Bright and sunny,” said Ruby. “Good one. Y’don’t mind waitin’ over there for a few?” she asked. 

After a few more uncomfortable minutes of counting the petals on Ruby’s walls, a figure emerged from behind the screen. Before him stood Elza Polyak, tall and striking. Ruby’s satin dressing gown exposed her sharp collarbones and barely reached past her calves. 

Severus was almost certain that his heart had stopped completely. 

She stepped closer, and he scrutinised her face, noticing with relief that each detail matched the original perfectly. He reached towards her temples with trembling hands and timidly raked his fingers through the waterfall of long, sleek hair, all the way down to her elbows, then slid his palms up her arms and back towards her face. He let himself touch the soft skin of her cheeks, and, finally, brushed his thumb against her lower lip. 

A wet, pink tongue came out and gently licked at his skin, and that was all it took. He tore her robe off her shoulders and pushed her onto the bed. With a voracity unlike anything he’d experienced before, he pawed at Elza’s beautiful body almost deliriously while she worked to undo his clothes. The moment she released him, he plunged into her, urgently and violently, barely able to make it to about half a dozen ferocious thrusts before finishing. Gritting his teeth, he kept his eyes open and fixed on her face as he came, and, at last, collapsed on top of her in a heavy, sweaty heap. 

* * *

“I’ve never had you go at it like this before,” said Ruby with a cheeky chuckle. She inspected a few newly developing bruises on Elza’s body in the mirror, while Severus, still sprawled on the bed, allowed himself to watch for as long as the effects of the potion lasted. “Can’t say I blame you, though. Just look at her! Wouldn’t mind keepin’ this body for a bit longer. Bloody hell… I should start workin’ out…”

Severus tuned her out. In retrospect, while he most definitely didn’t regret the experience, he felt it could have been more satisfying. For instance, now that he thought of it removed from the heat of the moment, he couldn’t imagine the real Elza Polyak just lying on her back and accepting him. The real Elza was aggressive, imposing and relentless, used to eventually getting what she wanted one way or another; if Elza Polyak wanted a man, she would never passively wait for him to make the first move. She would seek him out, assert herself, and just straddle him, and – 

“Sorry, love,” giggled Ruby, looking at his crotch, which was clearly showing that his excitement was experiencing a second wind. “I almost wish I could give you one on the house, but I’m afraid that would be bad for the business, and I have my next appointment soon.”

Snape felt his cheeks burn as he unceremoniously pulled his clothes on. For some reason, the mere idea of trying to communicate his thoughts about Elza’s personality to Ruby made him flush with embarrassment, despite what they had just done. Besides, fantasies that extensive would most likely require a trip to Knockturn Alley, and probably a much larger sum of Galleons as well.


End file.
